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Friday, April 27 2018
Contributor: Dolapo Olaoye Introduction: Last week, we continued in our study of why we believe Jesus was not poor while on earth. We looked at 2 scriptures where he had provided food and drink for thousands. This week we will consider one of the main purposes why we must not allow ourselves to believe in the mentality that we are meant to be poor for any reason. Have you ever seen a poor give? Jesus gave in so many ways while he lived on earth.
Jesus was NOT poor while on earth. He had so much to give and He gave. However, if you watch closely He could only give what HE HAD! (Time because he was the master of all time management, Strength even though he was travelling one city to another he drew strength from God to carry on and never gave up or complain, he gave his Life without questions, Knowledge because He believed in passing the acquired knowledge to others as that didn’t make Him less a great man rather One who acquired more knowledge only to again give out) Ask yourself this, how can I help others if I cannot help myself first?
POOR Defined- Deprived economically, politically and socially. Have inadequate nutrition, higher risk of diseases and lack access to healthcare and basic essentials for living resulting in low achievement. Agreed; we cannot make such people wealthy but we can at least help them achieve the essentials of life and lead a prosperous life.
Some people only need to be given a chance or opportunity in order for them to live an effective and long-lasting improved lives. Create a new system which motivates them to work and move forward.
Throwing out money or other kinds of donation do help the poor but let’s try another approach to change - raise them instead. Yes, RAISE THEM! Build a relationship with them, teach them and they can regain their self-confidence and self-esteem to work for themselves.
Change your approach. Rather than viewing them as a project (some of us have projects marked giving to the needy). Don’t get me wrong it’s good to help however rather than considering them a “project” start to see them as people to love and respect.
So I have but how exactly do I give the most effective way? 1. Give them a hand up rather than a hand out.
2. Donate Groceries/eatables Matthew 25:35 “For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me,”
3. Group Involvement/Volunteering Teams Deuteronomy 15:11 “For there will never cease to be poor in the land. Therefore I command you, ‘You shall open wide your hand to your brother, to the needy and to the poor, in your land.’
4. Better Understanding Proverbs 19:17 “Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will reward them for what they have done.”
5. Educate Proverbs 13:1-2 “A wise son hears his father's instruction, but a scoffer does not listen to rebuke. From the fruit of his mouth a man eats what is good . . .”
REMEMBER YOU CAN NOT GIVE WHAT YOU DO NOT HAVE! Wednesday, April 18 2018
Contributor: Isekhua Evborokhai INTRODUCTION Last week we concluded that Jesus wasn’t poor and neither was He homeless by answering two important questions – “When Did Jesus Become Poor?” And “Was Jesus Homeless?” Today’s study will be likened to the closing statement in a court case; where we will consider other scriptural indications that Jesus didn't live a poverty-stricken life while He was on earth in a topic titled “Fishing for Gold”; to address any iota of doubt that may persist. The underlying basis being that you can’t give what you don’t have and that everyone can be identified by their fruits. Matt. 7:16a says: “You will know them by their fruits.”
STATEMENT NO.1: He Had Access to Both Heavenly and Earthly Resources I will like to draw your attention to the evidence in Matthew 17:24-27 (MSG) “24 When they arrived at Capernaum, the tax men came to Peter and asked, “Does your teacher pay taxes?”25 Peter said, “Of course.” But as soon as they were in the house, Jesus confronted him. “Simon, what do you think? When a king levies taxes, who pays—his children or his subjects?” 26-27 He answered, “His subjects.” Jesus said, “Then the children get off free, right? But so we don’t upset them needlessly, go down to the lake, cast a hook, and pull in the first fish that bites. Open its mouth and you’ll find a coin. Take it and give it to the tax men. It will be enough for both of us.” From this scripture, we see Jesus displaying that He had access to both heavenly and earthly resources and these resources were at His beck and call. If He wanted more than a coin, He could have commandeered it.
STATEMENT NO.2 – He Had the Power to Miraculously Multiply Resources There are also other examples, when Jesus operated God’s miraculous power in meeting the physical and material needs of others. Matthew14:15-21 (MSG) says: “15 Toward evening the disciples approached him. “We’re out in the country and it’s getting late. Dismiss the people so they can go to the villages and get some supper.” 16 But Jesus said, “There is no need to dismiss them. You give them supper.” 17 “All we have are five loaves of bread and two fish,” they said. 18-21 Jesus said, “Bring them here.” Then he had the people sit on the grass. He took the five loaves and two fish, lifted his face to heaven in prayer, blessed, broke, and gave the bread to the disciples. The disciples then gave the food to the congregation. They all ate their fill. They gathered twelve baskets of leftovers. About five thousand were fed.” Matthew 15:32-39 “32 But Jesus wasn’t finished with them. He called his disciples and said, “I hurt for these people. For three days now they’ve been with me, and now they have nothing to eat. I can’t send them away without a meal—they’d probably collapse on the road.” 33 His disciples said, “But where in this deserted place are you going to dig up enough food for a meal?” 34-39 Jesus asked, “How much bread do you have?” “Seven loaves,” they said, “plus a few fish.” At that, Jesus directed the people to sit down. He took the seven loaves and the fish. After giving thanks, he divided it up and gave it to the people. Everyone ate. They had all they wanted. It took seven large baskets to collect the leftovers. Over four thousand people ate their fill at that meal. After Jesus sent them away, he climbed in the boat and crossed over to the Magadan hills.
These passages tell two different stories of Jesus feeding; on one account five thousand men with five loaves and two fish and the feeding of four thousand men with seven loaves and a few fish on the other account. These go to further prove Jesus’ access to heaven’s unlimited resources. In John 6: 26 Jesus said: "Very truly I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw the signs I performed but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. Multitudes followed Jesus for what He could offer them; not only spiritually but physically. Proverbs 19:4 says: “Wealth attracts many friends, but even the closest friend of the poor person deserts them.”
CONCLUSION During His ministry on the earth, time and again Jesus demonstrated that the resources necessary to meet every need were available to Him. He was not limited in anyway; being God, He owned the cattle in ten thousand hills. There is quite a lot we can learn from how He handled the resources at His disposal; He never attached importance to it more than is necessary. In Luke 12:15 he warned “. . . Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions." He had access to both earthly and heavenly resources but He didn’t “flaunt” it and didn’t live a flamboyant lifestyle; that was why many times He would sneak away and mix with the crowd without standing out. Wednesday, April 11 2018
Contributor: Isekhua Evborokhai Introduction: As much as the Lord desires for all of us to prosper here on earth; there are many who teach that Christians should not live in prosperity. One of the arguments used by those who oppose the idea of material prosperity for Christians is that Jesus was poor during the time He lived on earth. They say He lived an impoverished life from the time He was born in a stable and laid in a manger bed, throughout His ministry when He had no home, until He was crucified and buried in a borrowed tomb. The idea of Jesus' poverty has been repeated so often and passed down for so long that most people never stop to question it and see if it is scripturally valid or not. In fact, this commonly accepted teaching is totally contrary to the clear teaching of Scripture. First, let’s look at the terms used to define the word “poor” "destitute, inferior, indigent, needy, impoverished, feeble, pitiful, lacking, insufficient". Will any of these be a true description of the way Jesus lived? Definitely not! Yes, on the night Jesus was born, Joseph and Mary had to take shelter in a stable. They wrapped Jesus in swaddling clothes and laid Him in a manger. But the Bible does not say they were in the stable because they didn't have enough money to rent a room. That Jesus was therefore born in a manger due to the overcrowding in Bethlehem was certainly no indication of poverty. Next, we will answer two important questions based on the two primary scriptures used to erroneously substantiate the idea that Jesus was poor.
Question 1: When Did Jesus Become Poor? 2 Corinthians 8:9: “For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.” This passage undeniably declares that Jesus became poor and experienced poverty. But when? Was it during His entire earthly life? During His years of ministry? Exactly when did Jesus become poor? Jesus was not a poor man during the thirty-three years of His earthly life, including the three years of His earthly ministry. He was made poor upon the Cross when He became our Substitute and paid the penalty and price for our sin. Isaiah 53, the great substitutionary chapter of the Bible, speaks of how Jesus bore our sins. He took upon Himself what belonged to us so that we could receive what belongs to Him. “Surely he hath borne our GRIEFS [the word translated “griefs" is the Hebrew word "choli," which means diseases], and carried our SORROWS [this is the Hebrew word "makob," which means pains]: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the CHASTISEMENT OF OUR PEACE was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned everyone to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. . .. Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him; he hath put him to grief [The Amplified Bible says, "He has put Him to grief and made Him sick"]: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.” Isaiah 53:4-6,10
The word translated "peace" in verse 5 is the Hebrew word “shalom," which has the following meanings and connotations: safe, well, happy, welfare, health, prosperity, and rest. In other words, this passage tells us that God allowed Jesus to bear our sins and sicknesses so that by His stripes, we could have healing, peace, safety, wellness, happiness, rest, and prosperity. There are other important "substitutionary" verses to consider. 2 Corinthians 5:21 “For he [God] hath made him [Jesus] to be SIN for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the RIGHTEOUSNESS of God in him. Galatians 3:13,14 “Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made A CURSE for us: for it is written, cursed is everyone that hangeth on a tree: that THE BLESSING of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. At Calvary, Christ took on sickness to provide us health. He was made sin so we could be made the righteousness of God. He was made a curse so we could receive the blessing. Let's look again at Second Corinthians 8:9. "For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became POOR, that ye through his POVERTY might be RICH." We see that by His sacrifice on the Cross, Jesus took our poverty to provide us the riches of His grace. He became poor that we might be rich, which means abundant provision! When did Jesus take on sin, sickness, the curse, and poverty? On the Cross! He did this so we could receive health, righteousness, blessing, and prosperity. He took the punishment that belonged to us so that we could receive the blessings that belong to Him.
Question 2: Was Jesus Homeless? Luke 9:58: “And Jesus said unto him, Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.” This verse is often interpreted to mean that Jesus lived such an impoverished life that He never owned a home or had a place to stay after He began His earthly ministry. But contrary to traditional thinking, Jesus did have a place of residence. The passage most often cited by people in an attempt to prove that Jesus never owned a home or had a residence is found in Luke chapter 9. Let's read all the related verses in context. Luke 9:51-58: “As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem. And he sent messengers on ahead, who went into a Samaritan village to get things ready for him; but the people there did not welcome him, because he was heading for Jerusalem. When the disciples James and John saw this, they asked, “Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them?" But Jesus turned and rebuked them, and they went to another village. As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, "I will follow you wherever you go." Jesus replied, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head."
Reading in context, we learn that in verse 58 Jesus was simply saying, "At this time in My life, I am on the move. I’m going forward on My way to fulfil My mission. I'm not settling down on this earth, but I'm on My way to be taken up to Heaven." There are also other scriptures that seem to indicate that Jesus did have an earthly home or residence. Matthew 4:12,13 (NIV) “When Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, he returned to Galilee. Leaving Nazareth, he went and lived in Capernaum, which was by the lake in the area of Zebulun and Naphtali.” Mark 2:1 is also very interesting. It reads, "A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home" (NIV). Jesus couldn't "come home" or be reported as being "at home" if He didn't have a home. The argument that Jesus didn't have a home cannot be used as proof of the poverty of Jesus because Scripture indicates that Jesus did indeed have a home.
Conclusion We can be certain that Jesus becoming poor for our sakes was only at the cross. Reading through the Gospels, we discover that Jesus was not portrayed as a poverty-stricken individual. He was also never sick but He took our sicknesses. He never sinned but took on our sins. He wasn’t poor but became poor so that we might become rich once we accept His gift of salvation. All these exchanges took place at the cross! This therefore concludes that prior to the cross, Jesus was rich!
This study was culled from “The Midas Touch” By Kenneth-E-Hagin Wednesday, April 04 2018
Contributor: Isekhua Evborokhai INTRODUCTION In our last study titled “Angels Are Ministering Spirits” we learnt that God’s Angels are His ministers who harken to the instructions of His words that He has given onto us. They are messengers who deliver God’s blessings to His children which includes material, physical and spiritual prosperity. Today, from our text with emphasis on verse 11 which says: “After coming into the house, they saw the Child with Mary His mother; and they fell to the ground and worshiped Him. Then, opening their treasures, they presented to Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.” We will learn the importance of giving our best to the Lord. The wise men presented from their treasure, “valuable” gifts as part of their worship: Gold: Tangible wealth has always been based upon the possession of gold and silver. In biblical times, gold’s primary purpose was (and still should be) storage for wealth and value. Frankincense: Gives out a highly sweet-smelling fragrance when burned, and was therefore used in worship, where it was burned as a pleasant offering to God. See Exodus 30:8; Leviticus 16:12. Myrrh: Is obtained from a thorny tree, which grows 8 or 9 feet high; used chiefly in embalming the dead, because it had the property of preserving dead bodies from putrefaction and was an ingredient of the holy ointment, Exodus 30:23 They offered Him gold as to a King, frankincense as a High Priest, and myrrh to sweeten the place where He was. It was customary in the East to show respect for persons of distinction by making presents or offerings of this kind. The offerings here referred to were made because they were the most valuable items which the country of the wise men produced. They were tokens of respect and homage which they paid to the new-born King of the Jews. The fact that this deed of the wise men (offering their best gifts and offerings) to the Lord was recorded in the Bible teaches us that it is right that we give to Him that which is of value including our hearts, our property, our all. 1. THE SIGNIFICANCE OF GIFTS
“A gift opens the way and ushers the giver into the presence of the great.” In Genesis 43:11; when Joseph’s brothers needed to return to Egypt, Israel asked them to prepare a gift for Joseph. “Then their father Israel said to them, "If it must be, then do this: Put some of the best products of the land in your bags and take them down to the man as a gift--a little balm and a little honey, some spices and myrrh, some pistachio nuts and almonds.
It is custom still common in the East, and everywhere in the world that it is unusual to approach a person of distinguished rank without a valuable present. Not to bring someone of honour gifts is to despise them. 1 Samuel 10:27 says: “But some scoundrels said, "How can this fellow save us?" They despised him and brought him no gifts. But Saul kept silent.
Proverbs 3:9 says: “Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the first fruits of all thine increase” The NLT says: “Honour the LORD with your wealth and with the best part of everything you produce.” When you give God your first fruits, you not only give Him the first, you give Him the best. In Malachi chapter 1, the Israelites brought God the worst of their leftovers for their sacrifices—the sick, blind, and lame animals. This is particularly important to us today because sometimes that’s what we bring God—our leftover time, energy, and devotion. We come to God when we’re not at our peak. Let us consider a very popular story in the Bible recorded in Genesis 4:3-5. The AMP version says: “And in the course of time Cain brought to the Lord an offering of the fruit of the ground. But Abel brought [an offering of] the [finest] firstborn of his flock and the fat portions. And the Lord had respect (regard) for Abel and for his offering; but for Cain and his offering He had no respect. So Cain became extremely angry (indignant), and he looked annoyed and hostile.” The MSG version says: “Abel also brought an offering, but from the firstborn animals of his herd, choice cuts of meat.” So, what was the difference? Why did God accept Abel’s offering and not Cain’s? It was because Abel brought God the best because he believed God desired and deserved the best. Cain’s offering showed that he thought God deserved something but not necessarily the best. He kept the best for himself instead of offering it to God. Whenever you give God what is first in your heart, time, and treasure, (not when you have the time, not when you have done everything else, not if there is any money left, not if there is any energy left) you’re honouring Him as God; and the Lord will have respect (regard) for your sacrifice and be pleased with you. 2. THE BENEFITS OF GIVING (a) You create the opportunity to receive even more!
When we give willingly, God will reward us in such abundance of blessings that they will be overflowing our basket and filling the robe in our lap. It is important to know that the amount you give will determine the amount you get back! 2 Corinthians 9:6 (AMP) says: “Now [remember] this: he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows generously [that blessings may come to others] will also reap generously [and be blessed]. (b) You are guaranteeing continuous income
Like Abel, we should give God the best because we believe God desires and deserves the best then He will ensure our barns (our bank accounts) are always filled with plenty of provision. And our vats to overflow. That means in addition to having plenty of provision in our bank accounts, God also promises to keep our income flowing to us in response to honouring Him with our first fruits offering. When you think about it, those promises make sense. Our first fruits offerings demonstrate that we can be trusted with money because we don’t love money to the point of holding on tightly to it. It opens things up to work in our favour on the income side of the equation. And since we can be trusted to be good stewards over our finances, God can keep income flowing to us knowing it will be handled responsibly and our vats are overflowing as more and more income comes our way over time. (c) You create the opportunity for an overflow while protecting what you already have!
It is a blessing to know that we are part of the New Covenant; we are therefore free from the curse of the law. So, there is no punishment associated with not tithing. Instead, when we choose to tithe from our own free will, it releases God to be able to actively act on our behalf in two very specific ways. According to Mal.3:10-11
CONCLUSION Giving tangible, valuable gifts of treasure to the Almighty should come naturally to us as we worship and honour Him; but unfortunately, this is not the case. The reason is due to the selfish nature of the fallen man. It is also a trick played by the enemy on believers to deprive them of their blessings! That is why once the issue of money is raised, people become overly sensitive! Not to mention how some ministers have misrepresented giving to the Lord for their personal gains. Apart from the fact that He desires and deserves the best; God’s request for us to give unto Him in offerings, tithes and first fruits have different purposes in the Kingdom of God. They all work together on our behalf so God can bless our finances in different ways. Wednesday, March 28 2018
Contributor: Martins Olubiyi Introduction: Ministering spirits are otherwise referred to as Angels. The etymology of the word Angel is derived from the Latin word “Angelus”; meaning “messenger of God”. Angels were created by God. They are real. Their existence predates the creation of man. They constitute one the mysteries of God’s creations. They are spirit beings sent forth to minister unto them who shall be heirs of salvation. Heb 1:14. Aim: The aim of this study is to explore the Biblical truth about Angels. We shall seek to know and see the mystery behind their role for those who are to inherit salvation. Mystery is meant to be known; Mat 13:11, mystery is meant to be seen Eph 3: 3, 9. Today, we are going to examine the nature and ministry of Angels. Truth and Error The subject of Angels is very important in the life of a believer in Christ Jesus. Satan, the enemy of God and the human family is constantly on alert to pervert the truth and draw men away from the knowledge of the true God and of His law. Angels are divinely commissioned messengers sent to minister to those who are heirs of salvation. To frustrate this truth, Satan invented substitutes right from the time of the Egyptian priests to the modern spirit mediums, teaching that the spirit of the dead return to minister to their friends in this world through necromancy, clairvoyant psychic, etc. Angels are not the spirits of the dead: Job 14: 19-21; Eccl. 9: 5,6; Heb. 9: 27. From these Scriptural verses, it is established that the spirits of dead men never come back to communicate with the living. They know nothing about the affairs of their friends or what is done in this world. The Heavenly Family: Eph 3: 14-15, reads “For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named.” We can ask; “who makes up this family in heaven?” Of course, not the spirits of dead men, but the holy angels who were created in heaven before man was made upon the earth. In Gen 3: 24; there were Cherubim (high order of angels) that were assigned by God to guard the way of the tree of life when Adam and Eve were driven out of Eden. This was before any man had died. Therefore, they were not the souls of dead men. Angels were present at the foundation of the earth: In Job 38: 3-7. “Gird up now thy loins like a man; for I will demand of thee and answer thou me. Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? Declare, if thou hast understanding. Who hath laid the measure thereof, if thou knowest? Or who laid the corner stones thereof; when the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy.” This proves that the heavenly family did exist before man was created; therefore, they were not disembodied spirits. Men and angels are not of the same nature: The testimony of David in Psa 8: 4-5. “What is man……. Thou hast made in a little lower than the angels”. Also Heb. 2:16, Paul says “For verily He took not on Him the nature of angels; but He took the seed of Abraham.” Angels are real beings: They are real personal beings, possessing form and substance. Zeller’s Bible Dictionary, art. Says Angels are not without body, as we cannot very easily conceive of any creature without bodily form; but they have higher, finer, ethereal bodily form, which is according to the heavenly world system to which they belong”. The Bible substantiates this unequivocally in Isa. 6: 1,2: Ezek. 10:12. Also in Gen. 18:1-8; 19:1-3 The Lord appeared to Abraham in the plain of Mamre and Lot in Sodom respectively. Angel did eat man’s food. Psa. 78: 23-25. David says, “Man did eat angel’s food”. Number of the Angels: The exact number of the holy angels is not stipulated in the Bible. However, there are instances from which we may form an idea of the limitlessness of this heavenly hosts of God. In Mat. 26: 53 Jesus said “Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to My Father, and He shall presently give Me more than twelve legions of angels”. Also, in Heb 12:22, Paul talks of innumerable company of angels. Their work in the Gospel: The work of unfolding the things contained in the prophecy of Daniel, especially concerning the atonement and the sacrifice of the Messiah, was committed to Angel Gabriel. Dan. 8: 13-17; 9: 20-27. The same Angel Gabriel was assigned to foretell the birth of John the Baptist, and of the Messiah in Luke 1:11-19, 26-33. In the end time of the great harvest angels have a role to play. In Rev. 14: 6-12, angels will be involved; working alongside men. The proclamation will not be in their own, or according to their own wisdom but with the help from heaven. Zech. 4: 6 says “Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit, saith the Lord of Hosts.” Angels are ministering spirits to the children of God: We have established that “Angel” signifies messenger. The Union Bible Dictionary, says the original word, both in Hebrew and Greek , means messenger as it translated in Matt. 11:10. From this verse it is the office of the angels to oversee the works of God, especially the cause of God in this earth; to watch over His children, minister to their needs, and defend them from their adversary, the devil. Innumerable in their number, they are always before the throne of God, to attend to His command- Rev. 5:11. The angels are His officers, or messengers, whom He Has appointed to have charge of this earth; They watch over His people, and minister to their needs; They bear the prayers of the saints up before the Lord, and come again to answer them, according to God’s direction. Psa. 103: 19-22. Many instances are recorded in the Bible where God Has sent His angel to minister to His children. In Gen. 24: 7, Abraham said to his servant, “The Lord shall send His angel before thee.” In 1 Kings 19: 5,6- An angel ministered to Elijah when he was weak, he said: “arise and eat”. Every child of God has a guardian Angel: The Lord sends an angel to watch over every one of His children given assurance of victory over every foe in warfare. Ps. 34:7 says “The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear Him.” In Acts. 12, the angel of God attended to the disciples’ prayers for Peter in prison, in vs 15, they said “it is his angel” because of Rhoda’s testimony. In time of trouble, it is said to the saints, “For He shall give His angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone”. Conclusion: Beloved, ministering spirits are real. They are eager to hearken to the voice of God’s word in our mouths. The Lord said to us in the world we shall face tribulation, but we should be of good cheer because we have overcome the world. Angels are deployed by God to attend to our needs as heirs of salvation. But because we cannot see the angels with our natural eyes, we are quick to forget that they are constantly with us, seeing and hearing us, and noting our words and conduct. Therefore, let us create our world with our words as we avail the assistance of our ministering spirits. This study was culled from Angels: Their Nature and Ministry: Revised by J. H. Waggoner. Thursday, March 22 2018
Contributor: Dolapo Olaoye Introduction: Last week, we looked at some of the derived benefits of becoming overcomers through the redemptive work of Christ. We looked at the foundation and source of our overcomers’ nature. This week we will consider one of the most important revelations we need to have: “Satan has been totally defeated through Jesus and the work of the cross.”
Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it. The word disarmed here speaks of God stripping Satan of all his weaponry, leaving him with no weapons to fight with thereby completely powerless. Jesus rose from the dead and totally plundered the enemy (reduced the devil to NOTHING!). To make the pain hurt even more Jesus threw a huge party. Colossians 2:15 teaches us is that Jesus completely stripped Satan, principalities and powers and left them utterly naked with no weapons with which to fight. And there was a party like no other to celebrate the triumph of the cross.
And He said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you”. This clearly states our authority in Christ. It is worth meditating on regularly. Get it from your mind into your spirit.
And the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him, and he tore the lion apart as one would have torn apart a young goat, though he had nothing in his hand. But he did not tell his father or his mother what he had done. Samson defeated the lion, a picture of Satan the roaring lion, by the power of the Holy Spirit. It is by the power of Holy Spirit we can defeat all the enemies’ attacks. There is a stronger lion in us, the lion of the tribe of Judah, than the lion that is against us. Zech 4:6 If we are surrounded by all the demons of hell, afflicted on every side we need not fear if the Spirit of The Lord is upon us. Our affliction may be a habit or temptation to sin, we can conquer it by the sanctifying power of the Spirit. It may be the pull of worldly things, lust of flesh, pride of life, still we can overcome that lion, tear him to pieces by the power of Holy Spirit. You simply need to develop your spirit man, train him (equipment is the bible) to become strong and powerful hence preparing you to defeat every roaring lion that attacks. You simply need to be READY not scared! Some might say “well I’m trying to overcome them” THAT’S the problem! Stop trying and simply accept by faith what Jesus did. Christ Victory is your Victory.
Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. 2 Corinthians 2:11 Psalm 89:22 Query: Since these principalities and powers are dethroned, why then are they still ruling the world? Response: Because the world doesn’t know that they’re dethroned so they can act upon it! Thursday, March 15 2018
Introduction: We learnt how we lost our divine mandate through the first man Adam and how God, through well thought-out plan which could only have been the work of the only source of wisdom Himself, recovered this mandate through the one and only Jesus Christ our Lord and personal Saviour. Man regained his authority through Christ’s complete work on the cross and His resurrection from the dead. We will go further today as we consider the derived benefit of becoming overcomers through this redemptive work of Christ in our study today.
To Overcome simply means to defeat or succeed in controlling or dealing with something: So in other words, we can not be overcomers without facing or having hindrances to our advancements. The word Overcome means nothing without an Obstacle. So how did the obstacle come about? “And I will put enmity (open hostility) Between you and the woman, And between your seed (offspring) and her Seed; He shall [fatally] bruise your head, And you shall [only] bruise His heel.” [Genesis 3:15 AMP] “Therefore rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them [in the presence of God]. Woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has come down to you in great wrath, knowing that he has only a short time [remaining]!” [Revelation 12:12 AMP]
“And war broke out in heaven, Michael [the archangel] and his angels waging war with the dragon. The dragon and his angels fought, but they were not strong enough and did not prevail, and there was no longer a place found for them in heaven. And the great dragon was thrown down, the age-old serpent who is called the devil and Satan, he who continually deceives and seduces the entire inhabited world; he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.” [Revelation 12: 7-9 AMP] “ among them the god of this world [Satan] has blinded the minds of the unbelieving to prevent them from seeing the illuminating light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” [2 Corinthians 4:4 AMP] “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood [contending only with physical opponents], but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this [present] darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly (supernatural) places”. [Ephesians 6:12 AMP]
“having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of legal demands [which were in force] against us and which were hostile to us. And this certificate He has set aside and completely removed by nailing it to the cross. When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities [those supernatural forces of evil operating against us], He made a public example of them [exhibiting them as captives in His triumphal procession], having triumphed over them through the cross.” [Colossians 2:14-15 AMP] “When I saw Him, I fell at His feet as though dead. And He placed His right hand on me and said, “Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last[absolute Deity, the Son of God], and the Ever-living One [living in and beyond all time and space]. I died, but see, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of [absolute control and victory over] death and of Hades (the realm of the dead).” [Revelation 1:17-18 AMP]
“Therefore, since [these His] children share in flesh and blood [the physical nature of mankind], He Himself in a similar manner also shared in the same [physical nature, but without sin], so that through [experiencing] death He might make powerless (ineffective, impotent) him who had the power of death—that is, the devil” [Hebrews 2:14 AMP] “even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,” [Ephesians 2:6 AMP] “For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he says himself: ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand, Till I make Your enemies Your footstool.” [Acts 2:34-35 NKJV] In order to consistently work in the victory that Christ has won for us, we must constantly walk in this knowledge that we are overcomers with Christ Jesus. Remember that 1 John 4: 4a uses the phrase “….and have overcome them” NOT “…will overcome”. It is a settled matter!!! Does that mean we will not experience set-backs? No. But, we must also be confidence of the truth that; “And we know [with great confidence] that God [who is deeply concerned about us] causes all things to work together [as a plan] for good for those who love God, to those who are called according to His plan and purpose. [Romans 8:28 AMP] What we consider as set-backs are mostly set-ups for a higher level or platform of operation. Hallelujah!. Remember, without oppositions, victory has no meaning. Conclusion: “To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” [Colossians 1:27] This is the mystery: Through the Holy Ghost, Christ indwells us, and we are the Body of Christ. He is the Head, and we are the Body. Now, can your head have one experience and your body another experience? No, it's impossible. In the same way, the Lord Jesus' victory is our victory. When He overcame demons and evil spirits and put them to nought, that's all marked down to our credit. Notice it says, "YE . . . have overcome them ..." (1 John4:4). Then why do people have so much trouble with evil spirits? Because of their wrong thinking! They don't know that in Christ, they've overcome demons and evil spirits. And because they don't know it, they don't act on it. But believers do have authority over Satan. They just need to believe and exercise that authority in every area of their lives, including the area of finances.
Part of this teaching was taken from “THE MIDAS TOUCH” by Kenneth E. Hagin Friday, March 09 2018
Contributor: Alex Alajiki INTRODUCTION: In our last bible study, on the 21st of February, we had revelational insight into Isa.1:19 “If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land”. We saw that it is the will of God to make us enjoy the good of any land we are located.
The conditions are; willingness(submission) and obedience. We discovered that obedience and submission are two different things. Obedience is an action and submission is an attitude. Obedience can be outward but willingness is of the heart and God can see whether we are willingly obedient to Him.
It takes humility to submit to God’s authority in our life and to do what He says so that we can enjoy the good of the land. For obedience to accomplish its purpose, it must be complete. Partial obedience is disobedience before God.
To be willing and obedient implies keeping your motives pure. If a person's motive is not right, he needs to repent and make the necessary adjustments; because God is not going to bless someone whose motives are impure. To eat the good of the land, we must therefore be both willing and obedient. Kenneth Hagin’s story on his encounter with God based on Ias.1:19 is a classic.
This week, we are considering the area of authority given to man to exercise on earth to get his needs met.
1. God’s original Mandate: Gen.1:26-28 “Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” 27 So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. 28 Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
When the Lord created Adam, Adam was in one sense the god of this world because God created the world and the fullness thereof and turned it over to him. Adam committed treason against God and handed over his authority to Satan. Now Adam didn't have a moral right to disobey God and sell out to Satan, but he had a legal right to do it.
“Then the devil, taking Him up on a high mountain, showed Him[d] all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. 6 And the devil said to Him, “All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish. 7 Therefore, if You will worship before me, all will be Yours.” Luk.4:5-7
Satan became the god of this world in place of Adam according to 2 Cor.4:4. His assignment is to steal, kill and destroy (John 10:10). He stole the dominion mandate from Adam when he fell from grace to grass(Rom.3:23).
Satan showed Jesus all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time and said to Him, "All this authority will I give Thee and the glory of it, for it is delivered unto me." Who delivered it to him? Adam did!
Satan was using this mandate to control the world system and economy. The world and it fulness was created for Adam and not for Satan to control. Ps.50:10-12, Hag.2:8 “The silver is Mine, and the gold is Mine,’ says the Lord of hosts.” God created the silver and the gold and they were created for His children to enjoy.
2. Jesus Recovered Our Dominion Mandate: Col.2:11-15
“In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, 12 buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. 13 And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, 14 having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. 15 Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.”
After paying the full price for our salvation on the cross by His passion (crucifixion and death on the cross). Then He proceeded and disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it. Jesus made a show of principalities and powers openly. That is, He made a show of them before three worlds—Heaven, earth, and hell—triumphing over these powers through the Cross (Col. 2:15).
He boldly declared when He rose from the dead in Matt.28:18 “And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.”
3. Jesus restored our Authority to govern the earth; Col.1:12-14
“Giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light. 13 He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, 14 in whom we have redemption through His blood, [c] the forgiveness of sins.”
We were restored to higher position from were Adam fell. We must use our God-given authority to enforce Satan's defeat and enjoy the blessings of God that we have in Christ, including financial prosperity.
Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet [or able] TO BE PARTAKERS OF THE INHERITANCE OF THE SAINTS IN LIGHT. Colossians 1:12
Here is the inheritance of the saints in light that the Father gives because of Jesus' defeating Satan. Who [the Father] HATH DELIVERED US FROM THE POWER OF DARKNESS, and HATH TRANSLATED US INTO THE KINGDOM OF HIS DEAR SON. Colossians 1:13
Jesus is not going to deliver us; He already has delivered us. The rest of that verse says, "...from the POWER of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son." Notice that word "power” which means authority. In other words, God hath delivered us from the authority or dominion of darkness. Well, what's the authority or dominion of darkness? That's Satan's kingdom.
We're in the world, all right. But we're not of the world (John 15:19). The whole world is in darkness, but God hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the Kingdom of His dear Son (Col. 1:13)! That's our inheritance. Darkness represent poverty, sickness oppression and every evil in Satan’s domain. We are no longer in his domain. We are already translated into the kingdom of God and have authority over the kingdom of darkness according to Luke.10:19 “Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.”
CONCLUSION We can use this authority and claim everything Satan stole from us and get our financial needs met. But we must learn to think and speak in line with what the Word says. We can have what the Word says we can have, and we are who the Word says we are. We are born of God! Jesus never lacks anything because He always exercise authority to get His needs met while He was physically on earth. We are presently His representatives on earth, and must operate with the same authority He gave us. “YE ARE OF GOD, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.” —1 John 4:4.
Part of this teaching was taken from “THE MIDAS TOUCH” by Kenneth E. Hagin. Thursday, February 22 2018
Contributor: Isekhua Evborokhai INTRODUCTION: In the last study, we looked at “Qualifications for Walking in Prosperity.” We learnt that the “qualification” referred to in the title is the condition that must be fulfilled before the “right” of walking in prosperity can be acquired. We concluded that God wants us to prosper in every area of our lives but He does not want us to live our lives in misplaced priorities. And that our material and physical prosperity are hinged on our spiritual prosperity. Today’s study is titled; “The Good of the Land”. What do you think of when you hear the phrase, "the good of the land"? The Amplified versions refers to it as “the best of the land”; the NIV says: “the good things of the land.” To go to through today’s study, we shall be splitting this verse of scripture into two parts
I. THE OUTCOME: THE GOOD OF THE LAND What does THE GOOD OF THE LAND refer to?
“Let the peoples praise You, O God; Let all the peoples praise You. Then the earth shall yield her increase; God, our own God, shall bless us.”
1 Tim. 6:17: "As for the rich in this present world, instruct them not to be conceited and arrogant, nor to set their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly and ceaselessly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.” Material blessing is a part of God’s goodness. He delights in our enjoyment of the increase of the earth. Jer.2:7 says: “And I brought you into a plentiful country, to eat the fruit thereof and the goodness thereof;”
In Gen.45:18-20, Pharaoh said to Joseph: “And take your father and your households, and come unto me: and I will give you the good of the land of Egypt, and you shall eat of the fat of the land. Now thou art commanded, this do ye; take you wagons out of the land of Egypt for your little ones, and for your wives, and bring your father, and come. Also regard not your stuff; for the good of all the land of Egypt is yours.” And in Genesis 47:27, the Bible records that the Israelites gained possessions and acquired property there and were fruitful and multiplied greatly.
II. THE ACTION: WILLINGNESS AND OBEDIENCE Obedience and submission are two different things. Obedience is an action and submission is an attitude. God looks at our heart. He knows whether we are willing to obey Him or not. It takes humility to submit to God’s authority in our life and to do what He says. So, we must be submitted to God with all our heart and we must obey Him by doing everything He says to do. (a) Willingness: Willingness refers to us consenting in our wills to the Father. Mark 14:36 (NLT): “Father, everything is possible for you. Please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will, not mine" Willingness also refers to a desire to obey; not coerced, not cajoled! A willing spirit is what sustains us; keeps us from falling in life. David prayed in Psalm 51:12 (AMP): “Restore to me the joy of Your salvation and sustain me with a willing spirit.” (b) Obedience: Obedience here implies our being submissive in our actions. To be compliant with an order, request, or law or submission to another's authority. Abraham was completely obedient. Genesis 12:4 says: “So, Abram went, as the Lord had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he set out from Harran.:” James 1:22 (NIV) says: “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” Obedience implies doing what the Word of God says. 1 Kings 2:3 (NIV) says: “Observe what the Lord your God requires: Walk in obedience to him, and keep his decrees and commands, his laws and regulations, as written in the Law of Moses. Do this so that you may prosper in all you do and wherever you go” For obedience to accomplish its purpose, it must be complete. Partial obedience is disobedience
CONCLUSION God is the author and source of all the blessings in our lives. Psalm 50:10-11 says that He owns the cattle on a thousand hills; and all the animals of the field are His! It is Him who also causes the land to produce goodness. Psalm 85:12 “Yea, the LORD shall give that which is good; and our land shall yield her increase.” For us partake in eating the good of the land, we must be submitted, spirit, soul and body, to Him. God does not force His will on us; so, we must make the choice ourselves to yield our wills to Him. Let us learn from an encounter Kenneth Hagin had about Isaiah 1:19. God asked him to leave a church and go into the field and he obeyed but he really didn’t want to go. Afterwards, he started having financial issues and he went to God quoting Isaiah 1:19. God told him that although he qualified on the obedience side, he didn’t qualify on the willingness side. And because it is one and the other not one or the other he therefore didn’t qualify to eat the good of the land! To be willing and obedient implies keeping your motives pure. God sees our hearts, and He knows what attitudes are motivating us (1 Sam. 16:7). If a person's motive is not right, he needs to repent and make the necessary adjustments; because God is not going to bless someone whose motives are impure. To eat the good of the land, we must therefore be both willing and obedient! Thursday, February 08 2018
Contributor: Isekhua Evborokhai INTRODUCTIONIn last week’s study, we looked at Learning to think in line with God's Word. We saw that unless we thought this way we would miss out on the very many blessings God has for us. In today’s study we shall be looking at an interesting topic: “Qualifications for Walking in Prosperity.” Qualification referred to here is a condition that must be fulfilled before a right can be acquired. As a foundation of this study we need to establish the following: There is nothing wrong with being rich and having money. But it is wrong for money to have you! It is wrong for money to be your ruler or master or for you to consume finances entirely on your own lusts. God wants us to prosper in every area of our lives but He does not want us to live our lives with misplaced priorities.
PART 1: TYPES OF PROSPERITYJohn writes in 3John2 (NKJV): " Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things (Materially) and be in health, (Physically), just as your soul (Spiritually/Emotionally) prospers." Emphasis mine. In this verse, John talks about financial or material prosperity, physical prosperity, and spiritual prosperity. Notice that material and physical prosperity are dependent upon spiritual prosperity. He concluded the verse by saying “even as thy soul prospereth”. From 3 John 2, we can therefore conclude that there are broadly three types of prosperity
PART 2: QUALIFICATIONS OR CONDITIONSIn this second part we will be looking at qualifications or conditions for walking in prosperity. These conditions are not man-made conditions but directions from the Lord in His word! No wonder he told Joshua how to make his way prosperous (how to walk in prosperity) in Joshua 1:8 the Bible says: “Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.” So, what are the contents of this book of law we keep always on our lips and meditate on day and night? Let’s look at five of them. CONDITION 1: PUT THE SPIRITUAL BEFORE THE MATERIALMatt.6:28-33. Emphasis on verse 33. “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” Putting the spiritual first guarantees material prosperity.
CONDITION 2: BE WILLING AND OBEDIENTIsaiah 1: 19 says: “If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land". God wants us to prosper materially! But our prosperity depends on our putting first things first. From this scripture, we find two words coming ahead of eating the good of the land. “willingness” and “obedience”.
CONDITION 3: ESTEEM EARTHLY THINGS LIGHTLYMatthew 6:19-21 (NIV) says: “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” You must esteem earthly things lightly and esteem heavenly things highly! Align your desires and will with the Lord’s. This action guarantees Spiritual/Emotional prosperity. Proverbs 11:28 (NKJV) says: “He who trusts in his riches will fall, But the righteous will flourish like foliage.” You cannot hold tightly to earthly things and expect to prosper as God desires you to. Ephesians 1:3 says: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ” CONDITION 4: COMMIT TO SERVING THE LORDJohn’s prayer in 3John2 is that we “be in health” or have good health or prosper physically. Exodus 23:25 - 26 tells us how we can guarantee this “So you shall serve the Lord your God, and He will bless your bread and your water. And I will take sickness away from the midst of you. No one shall suffer miscarriage or be barren in your land; I will fulfill the number of your days.” Very clearly therefore, to guarantee physical prosperity and divine health, serve the Lord! CONDITION 5: ENGAGE IN PRAISING GODThe popular phrase “When the praises go up, blessings come down” is coined from Psalm 67:5-6 “Let the peoples praise You, O God; Let all the peoples praise You. Then the earth shall yield her increase; God, our own God, shall bless us.” This action praise guarantees Material Prosperity and other blessings. CONCLUSIONGod wants us to prosper in every area of our lives but He does not want us to live our lives in misplaced priorities. He wants us to prosper materially and physically based on our spiritual prosperity. Our material and physical prosperity are hinged on our spiritual prosperity. Also, Obedience and Service are key requirements for living in prosperity according to Job 36:11 which says: “If they obey and serve him, they shall spend their days in prosperity, and their years in pleasures.” |
